ISH ִאישַׁ
Ish is the Hebrew word for "husband" in Hosea 2:2, 16. The word ba'al in the Hebrew Scriptures can also be translated "husband" (as well as "lord," "owner," or "master"), though this term usually refers to the Canaanite fertility god Baal (ba'al does occur in Hosea 2:16, "master"). Remarkably, in Isaiah and Jeremiah, this word is also used to describe God as the husband of His people, Israel. Though we never pray to ba'al, we do pray to the God who is the ideal husband, the one who provides for and protects His people and who refuses to divorce us no matter how unfaithful we may be. In the New Testament Jesus is presented as the bridegroom and the church as his bride.
KEY SCRIPTURE
"On that day she will call me her Ish," declares Yahweh.
"She will no longer call me her master.
— Hosea 2:16
GOD REVEALS HIS NAME IN SCRIPTURE
HOSEA 1; 2:5–7, 16, 19–20; 3:1
Open your personal Bible translation and read the same passage. Make note where God calls Himself ISH.
2When Yahweh first spoke to Hosea, Yahweh told him, "Marry a prostitute, and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned Yahweh."
She said, 'I'll chase after my lovers. They will give me food and water, wool and linen, olive oil and wine.'
"That is why I will block her way with thornbushes and build a wall so that she can't get through.
She will run after her lovers, but she won't catch them. She will search for them, but she won't find them. Then she will say, 'I'll go back to my first husband.
Things were better for me than they are now.'
"On that day she will call me her Ish," declares Yahweh. "She will no longer call me her master.
"Israel, I will make you my wife forever. I will be honest and faithful to you. I will show you my love and compassion.
20I will be true to you, my wife. Then you will know Yahweh."
Then Yahweh told me, "Love your wife again, even though she is loved by others and has committed adultery. Love her as I, Yahweh, love the Israelites, even though they have turned to other gods.
Understanding the Name
God's passionate love for Israel is reflected in the Hebrew word Ish (EESH), meaning "husband." When it is applied to God in the Hebrew Scriptures, it symbolizes the ideal relationship between God and Israel. God is the perfect husband — loving, forgiving, and faithful, providing for and protecting His people. This metaphor of monogamous marriage between God and His people is strengthened in the New Testament, which reveals Jesus as the loving, sacrificial bridegroom of the church. Our destiny, our greatest purpose as God's people, is to become His bride.
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